Japanese luxury brand adds turbo power in its battle against the European brigade.

DRIVE AWAY PRICE

$83,767

BASIC SPEC

DRIVE AWAY PRICE

$64,602

BASIC SPEC

2015 Lexus IS200t first drive review

24 Sep 2015Stephen Ottley

Lexus is hoping to turbocharge sales of its IS sedan in the face of fresh competition from Audi, BMW and Jaguar – not to mention the segment dominating Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

In a bid to keep the IS fresh the Japanese luxury brand has added its new 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine to the range. It replaces the previous IS250 as the entry-level model in line-up and carries the IS200t badge.

This is the same engine already found in the NX200t and will soon spread across the brand's portfolio including the RC200t, GS200t and RX200t.

Producing 180kW of power and 350Nm of torque it out-guns the old 2.5-litre V6 from the IS250 by 27kW and 98Nm. The new engine is also more efficient, returning a combined cycle fuel economy rating of 7.5-litres per 100km, down from IS250's 9.2L/100km, in part thanks to the introduction of stop-start technology.

2015 Lexus IS 200t F Sport. Photo: Supplied

On paper the new engine represents a step forward from the IS250 and when you get behind the wheel that sentiment doesn't change.

The engine feels well matched to the IS's rear-wheel drive chassis, and the eight-speed transmission does a good job of getting the best out of the engine's broad torque curve.

There is good initial pulling power from low down in the rev range and it stays steady right up to 5800rpm. Lexus claims the car manages the 0-100km/h sprint in 7.0 seconds and by the seat of the pants it offers up respectable acceleration from standstill.

The gearbox is good for the most part but it has too many ratios for Australian conditions and can occasionally be found hunting for the right ratio.

As part of the engine change Lexus introduced a new 'performance damper' to the front suspension set-up. It works in a similar way to a shock absorber and has been designed to both reduced vibrations, in a bid to aid refinement, and improve handling.

The IS was already a well-mannered sedan, which may have lacked the dynamic precision of the BMW 3-Series or Mercedes C-Class but wasn't far off, and this new addition has helped maintain that. It hasn't overtaken its German rivals but the IS200t is a nice car to drive with sharp, responsive handling.

The new engine brings new equipment with it across the three model range – Luxury, F Sport and Sports Luxury.

Pre-collision warning, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, automatic wipers and power adjustable steering column are now standard across all models. While the range-topping Sports Luxury also boasts lane departure warning and blind spot monitoring as part of this mid-life update.

But the new engine and additional equipment also means a price increase, relative to the IS250. Prices for the Luxury and F Sport are up $3500, to $57,500 and $65,500 respectively, while the Sports Luxury starts at $76,500 which represents a $2500 price rise on the IS250.

But that entry-price still keeps it below the Mercedes-Benz C200 (from $60,900) and Jaguar XE2.0t (from $60,400) but it is more expensive than the entry-level BMW 318i (from $54,900) and Audi has yet to announce pricing for the new A4 coming in 2016.

And the extra money does buy you a better car, because the new engine gives the IS200t more punch than the model it replaces, uses less fuel and closes the gap between the Lexus and its European rivals.